U.S. patent application number 11/230074 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-22 for conferencing system and method for temporary blocking / restoring of individual participants.
This patent application is currently assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Mukul Jain, Vinod Katkam.
Application Number | 20070067387 11/230074 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37885472 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070067387 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jain; Mukul ; et
al. |
March 22, 2007 |
Conferencing system and method for temporary blocking / restoring
of individual participants
Abstract
A conferencing system includes a server having a plurality of
ports, the server operating in response to one or more inputs to
selectively permit an individual connected to the server via one of
the ports to participate in a conference session or be isolated in
a waiting room. A computer runs a program to implement a user
interface that generates the one or more inputs to the server
responsive to commands entered by a moderator using the computer.
It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the
rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other
reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical
disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not
be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
37 CFR 1.72(b).
Inventors: |
Jain; Mukul; (San Jose,
CA) ; Katkam; Vinod; (San Jose, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BURGESS & BEREZNAK LLP
800 WEST EL CAMINO REAL
SUITE 180
MOUNTAIN VIEW
CA
94040
US
|
Assignee: |
Cisco Technology, Inc.
San Jose
CA
|
Family ID: |
37885472 |
Appl. No.: |
11/230074 |
Filed: |
September 19, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/204 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/204 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/16 20060101
G06F015/16 |
Claims
1. A conferencing system comprising: a server having a plurality of
ports, the server being operable to selectively permit an
individual connected to the server via one of the ports to
participate in a conference session or be isolated in a waiting
room, the server operating in response to one or more inputs; and a
computer that runs a program to implement a user interface, the
user interface generating the one or more inputs to the server
responsive to commands entered by a moderator using the computer
during the conference session.
2. The conferencing system of claim 1 wherein the user interface
includes a main conference room field that displays a first set of
individuals who may participate in the conference session, and a
waiting room field that displays a second set of individuals who
are isolated from the conference session.
3. The conferencing system of claim 1 wherein the commands are
entered by the moderator via an input device of the computer.
4. The conferencing system of claim 1 wherein a first input causes
the server to block a port of a selected individual, and a second
input causes the server to restore the port of a selected
individual.
5. The conferencing system of claim 1 wherein the server further
comprises a digital signal processor for mixing audio signals
received at the ports.
6. A computer for connecting with a conferencing server to control
participation in a conference session, comprising: a display; a
program that runs on the computer to produce a graphical user
interface on the display, the graphical user interface providing a
conference moderator using the computer with main conference room
and waiting room fields, and the ability to selectively move
individuals between the main conference room and waiting room
display fields during the entirety of the conference session, the
graphical user interface generating a first output in response to
an individual being moved from the main conference room field into
the waiting room field, and a second output in response to the
individual being moved from the waiting room field into the main
conference room field; and an external interface for transmitting
the first and second outputs to the conferencing server, a first
command causing the conferencing server to allow a first set of the
individuals in the main conference room to actively participate in
the conference session, and a second command blocking causing the
conferencing server to isolate a second set of the individuals in
the waiting room from active participation in the conference
session.
7. The computer of claim 6 wherein the graphical user interface
further provides a first button to activate the waiting room
field.
8. The computer of claim 7 wherein the graphical user interface
further provides a second button for automatically moving all of
the second set of individuals from the waiting room field into the
main conference room field.
9. The computer of claim 6 further comprising an input device for
moving the individuals between the main conference room and waiting
room fields.
10. A computer for connecting with a conferencing server to control
participation in a conference session, comprising: a display; means
for producing a graphical user interface on the display, the
graphical user interface providing a conference moderator using the
computer with main conference room and waiting room display fields,
and the ability to selectively move individuals between the main
conference room and waiting room display fields during the entirety
of the conference session, the graphical user interface generating
a first output in response to an individual being moved from the
main conference room display field into the waiting room display
field, and a second output in response to the individual being
moved from the waiting room display field into the main conference
room display field; and an external interface for transmitting the
first and second outputs to the conferencing server, a first
command causing the conferencing server to allow a first set of the
individuals in the main conference room to actively participate in
the conference session, and a second command blocking causing the
conferencing server to isolate a second set of the individuals in
the waiting room from active participation in the conference
session.
11. A computer for connecting with a conferencing server to control
participation in a conference session, comprising: means for
producing a user interface that provides a conference moderator
using the computer with main conference room and waiting room
fields, and the ability to selectively move individuals between the
main conference room and waiting room fields during the entirety of
the conference session; and an interface to transmit first and
second outputs to the conferencing server, the first output being
produced when the conference moderator moves an individual from the
main conference room field to the waiting room field, and the
second output being produced when the conference moderator moves
the individual from the waiting room field to the main conference
room field, the first output causing the conferencing server to
block conference audio signal transmission to the individual, and
the second output causing the conferencing server to restore
conference audio signal transmission to the individual.
12. A processor-implemented method for controlling a conference
session comprising: generating a graphical user interface on a
display of a computer, the graphical user interface including first
and second identifiers for association with first and second sets
of individuals, respectively, the first set of individuals being
allowed to actively participate in the conference session, and the
second set of individuals being isolated from active participation
in the conference session; executing a first command that moves an
individual from the first set to the second set, thereby isolating
the individual from active participation in the conference session;
executing a second command that moves the individual from the
second set to the first set, thereby allowing the individual to
actively participate in the conference session.
13. The processor-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the first
identifier comprises a main conference room display field.
14. The processor-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the second
identifier comprises a waiting room display field.
15. The processor-implemented method of claim 12 further
comprising: communicating with a conference server to schedule the
conference session.
16. A processor-implemented method for controlling a conference
session comprising: generating a graphical user interface on a
display of a computer, the graphical user interface including
waiting room and main conference room fields, with participates
connected to a conference server appearing in the main conference
field at the start of the conference session; moving, under the
control of a conference moderator, an identifier associated with an
individual from the main conference room field to the waiting room
field, thereby isolating the individual from active participation
in the conference session; and moving, under the control of the
conference moderator, the identifier associated with the individual
from the waiting room field to the main conference room field,
thereby allowing the individual to actively participate in the
conference session.
17. The processor-implemented method of claim 16 wherein the
identifier comprises a name of the individual.
18. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium
and computer readable code embodied on the computer useable medium,
execution of the computer readable code causing the computer
program product to: provide a graphical user interface that allows
a conference moderator to selectively control media access of
participants to a conference session; and output a first data
packet to a conference server responsive to a first input command
to the graphical user interface by the conference moderator, the
first data packet causing the conference server to block a media
path of a selected individual participant connected to the
conference session via a port of the conference server.
19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein execution of
the computer readable code further causing the computer program
product to: output a second data packet to a conference server
responsive to a second input command to the graphical user
interface by the conference moderator, the second data packet
causing the conference server to restore a media path of a selected
individual participant connected to the conference session via a
port of the conference server.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the fields of
data networks and communication systems; more specifically, to
systems and methods aimed at managing conference sessions for
groups of individuals communicating over a telephony network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conferencing systems and methods, in which participants
communicate in a conference session or meeting over existing voice
and data networks, have been in existence for some time. Recent
examples of conference calling systems include U.S. Pat. No.
6,865,540, which teaches a method and apparatus for providing group
calls via the Internet; U.S. Pat. No. 6,876,734, which teaches an
Internet-enabled conferencing system accommodating public switched
telephone network (PSTN) and Internet Protocol (IP) traffic; U.S.
Pat. No. 6,931,001, which discloses a system for interconnecting
packet-switched and circuit-switched voice communications; and U.S.
Pat. No. 6,671,262, which teaches a system with conference servers
for combining IP packet streams in a conference call into combined
packet streams, such that the combined IP packet stream utilizes no
more bandwidth than each of the original packet streams.
[0003] A variety of different features and approaches for
scheduling, control, and management of conference call sessions are
also known. For instance, a conferencing system that facilitates a
conference call by enabling a participant in the call session to
determine and categorize the identities of the other participants
is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,931,113. A conference calling system
in which each participant may individually control incoming audio
streams from other participants, and in which participants may
communicate privately with each other in the context of the
conference call, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,739. U.S. Pat.
No. 6,816,469 teaches an IP telephony network and PSTN network that
allows one or more call waiting callers to dynamically join in an
existing multiple party conference call session.
[0004] In addition, commercially-available IP communication system
products such as Cisco's MeetingPlace.TM. conferencing application
allow users to schedule meeting conferences in advance or,
alternatively, to set up conferences immediately by dialing out to
participant parties. Cisco MeetingPlace.TM. is typically deployed
on a corporate network behind the firewall, and facilitates
scheduling of business conferences from a touch-tone or voice over
IP (VoIP) telephone, or a computer, using various software clients,
such as Microsoft.RTM. Outlook, or a web browser.
[0005] In a typical conference call, invitees dial in (or the
system dials out) and are directly moved into the "main conference
room" to join the conference session. However, in certain
situations the moderator of the conference may want to control the
start of the meeting and configure it such that the meeting may not
start until the moderator joins the conference session. With such a
configuration, when the conference invitees join the conference
session prior to the moderator joining, they are placed in a
"waiting room" where they may listen to on-hold music and/or hear
meeting announcements. When the moderator joins and is ready to
start the meeting, all of the participants in the waiting room are
brought into the main meeting room, the waiting room is dissolved,
and the conference session begins.
[0006] During the meeting, participants may have the ability to
mute themselves and/or enter a "breakout" session, in which
individuals can establish their own private communication group
session apart from the main meeting. The users who participate in
the breakout session may return to the main meeting at any time by
simply pressing a predetermined keypad code or sequence.
[0007] Interruptions may occur during the normal course of a
conference session. A typical example is when a manager, acting as
the meeting moderator, wants to discuss confidential information
with a special subset of the meeting participants. The manager may
wish to talk privately with certain project or team leaders, or
discuss a particular employee with a human resources department
representative. Accommodating such private, confidential
discussions is often a problem in existing conferencing
systems.
[0008] For example, entering a breakout session by the subset of
participants is generally inadequate since other users or meeting
participants may enter the same session before it becomes locked.
Moreover, the moderator lacks the ability to prevent persons from
entering, or forcing them to exit, the breakout room. Likewise,
merely asking the conference participants who are to be excluded
from the confidential discussions to enter a breakout session does
not preserve privacy since persons in a breakout room or session
usually have the ability to return to the main meeting at their
discretion. Additionally, this approach is very inconvenient for
the moderator and participants. Furthermore, it may not always be
possible to find a free breakout room, and, even if one is
available, all required participants may not join the breakout
session in a timely manner, thus delaying progress of the
conference session.
[0009] One solution to the difficulty of implementing confidential
"sidebar" discussions in the context of a larger meeting is to ask
the other participants (those who are to be excluded) to
temporarily leave the conference session. However, this approach is
cumbersome since it usually involves having many people first drop
out of the conference, wait to be notified (manually, or through
another communication channel) that the confidential topic of
discussion is over, and then, finally, call back to re-join the
conference session. In certain system implementations, conference
moderators can drop participants from a meeting, place the entire
conference session on hold, or deny certain participants from
joining a meeting. But these techniques lack flexibility and
particularized control. Currently, there is no system that permits
a moderator to temporarily block individuals from participating
(i.e., listening and/or speaking) in a conference session without
disconnecting the participant's call.
[0010] What is needed therefore is a conferencing system and method
that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and which facilitates
private, confidential discussions among a subset of individuals in
the context of a conference session having many participants.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The present invention will be understood more fully from the
detailed description that follows and from the accompanying
drawings, which however, should not be taken to limit the invention
to the specific embodiments shown, but are for explanation and
understanding only.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a conferencing system in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates a method of
operation according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface window associated with
an application running on a PC of a user in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] A conferencing system and method that provides a meeting
organizer or moderator (both terms are used synonymously in the
present application) with control to selectively and forcibly move
individual participants into or out of a waiting room that isolates
the participants from the main conference room or session is
described. In the following description specific details are set
forth, such as device types, system configurations, protocols,
applications methods, etc., in order to provide a thorough
understanding of the present invention. However, persons having
ordinary skill in the relevant arts will appreciate that these
specific details may not be needed to practice the present
invention.
[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a
mechanism under the control of a conference moderator is provided
in which certain selected ports of a conference server, each of
which is correspondingly associated with an individual participant,
are temporarily blocked. The blocked participants no longer have
the ability to hear or speak in the conference session. During the
time that the ports are blocked, the conferencing system also
precludes the blocked participants from dropping out (i.e., hanging
up) and dialing back into the conference session. After a certain
time period, the moderator may unblock or restore selected (or all)
ports to allow those participants to re-enter into the conference
session.
[0017] The media path for the conference participants may include
audio (voice) and video transmissions across a variety of different
networks (e.g., Internet, intranet, PSTN, etc.), protocols (e.g.,
IP, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Point-to-Point Protocol
(PPP)), with connections that span across multiple services,
systems, and devices (e.g., private branch exchange (PBX) systems,
VoIP gateways, etc.). In a specific embodiment, the present
invention may be implemented by software or hardware (firmware)
installed in an IP communications system that includes components
such as Cisco System's IP Communicator, Call Manager, MeetingPlace,
Softphone (a PC that has phone capabilities installed), and other
IP phone/communication products. Alternative embodiments of the
present invention may be implemented in PBX, telephony, telephone,
and other telecommunications systems.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary conferencing system 10 in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown
including a conference server 11 coupled with a PC 14 associated
with the conference organizer or moderator for communications
therebetween. Conference server 11 includes a digital signal
processor (DSP) 12 that mixes audio signals received at ports
(P.sub.1-P.sub.N), which are configured for connection with a set
of a conference or meeting participants (A.sub.1-A.sub.6).
Participants A.sub.1-A.sub.6 are shown being connected with
corresponding ports of server 11 via "cloud" 19, which represents
one or more networks or other communication media. For example,
some participants may connect to server 11 through an IP network,
some may connect via a PSTN, and still others may dial in through
corporate intranet/PBX system--all of which are subsumed by the
representation of cloud 19. FIG. 1 also shows PC 14 connected with
server 11 via network cloud 19.
[0019] Regardless of how the physical connection is made,
participants who dial into a conference session are each assigned a
dedicated port of server 11 for the duration of the session. During
an active conference session, the received audio signals are mixed
by DSP 12 and then sent back out to each of the participants via
the individual ports P.sub.1-P.sub.N.
[0020] PC 14 of the moderator is shown with a graphical user
interface (GUI) 13 that includes a waiting room display field 17, a
main conference room display field 18 and respective activate
waiting/deactivate waiting buttons (icons) 15 & 16. In one
embodiment, GUI 13 is an interactive interface (e.g., a web-based
graphical user interface) that allows a conference moderator to
control the blocking/unblocking of individual participants who have
dialed into the conference session. In one implementation, GUI 13
is generated by software (i.e., code) running the moderator's PC in
communication with conference server 11. That is, responsive to
commands entered via GUI 13, the PC generates one or more signals
or packet messages sent via an external interface to conference
server 11. These signals or packet messages cause server 11 to
block/unblock ports associated with selected individuals.
[0021] It is appreciated that the graphical user interface may
comprise a collaborative web-based application that is accessed by
the browser software running on PC 14. In other instances, GUI 13
may comprise a downloaded application for execution on the
moderator's PC, or other forms of computer-executable code that may
be loaded or accessed by PC 14.
[0022] In the example of FIG. 1, participants who dial into the
conference session are first placed into a waiting room, where they
may listen to music, meeting announcements, or a script message
that informs the caller that the conference session will begin
shortly. Typically, a conference session begins when the meeting
organizer or moderator calls into conference server 11. Conference
sessions may also be configured such that the meeting cannot start
until all pre-designated key participants (including the moderator)
have called into the conference session. When the moderator (and
other key participants, if applicable) has dialed into conference
server 11, the conference session is activated and everyone in the
waiting room is moved into the main conference room. All
participants in the main conference room may talk and listen to
discussions among everyone.
[0023] After the conference session has started, the moderator may
observe all of the participants by viewing main conference room
display field 18, which shows the name (or other ID) of each
participant. In this example, the moderator may also select or
"click" on button 15 appearing on the graphical user interface to
activate the waiting room control function. Once the moderator
clicks activate waiting button 15, nobody is permitted to directly
join into the main conference room; instead, any person who
attempts to join after the conference session has commenced is
placed into the waiting room. Practitioners will appreciate that in
a specific embodiment, deactivate waiting button 16 becomes enabled
or "clickable" upon clicking activate waiting button 15. Other
embodiments may utilize a single button that toggles to change
between activate/deactivate waiting commands.
[0024] Graphical user interface 13 displays the name or ID of late
individuals in waiting room display field 17. At any time, the
moderator may select one or more of the individuals appearing in
waiting room display field 17 and move them (e.g., click, drag and
drop using a mouse, keyboard, touch-screen, or other command input
device) into main conference room display field 18 to allow them to
participate in meeting discussions in the main conference room.
Alternatively, the moderator may click button 16 to deactivate the
waiting room function. Clicking on button 16 has the effect of
immediately moving all of the individuals from the waiting room
into the main conference room. In addition, deactivating the
waiting room function may allow others (e.g., other meeting
late-comers) to directly enter the main conference room.
[0025] It should be understood that in the context of the present
invention, it is assumed that all conference participants can be
identified in a given conference session. This can be achieved by
enforcing every participant to authenticate their identity before
joining the conference session.
[0026] With the waiting room function activated, the moderator also
has the ability to select one or more participants from main
conference room display field 18 and move them into waiting room
display field 17. This action forcibly removes those conference
participants from the main conference room, effectively excluding
and isolating them from on-going meeting discussions in the main
conference room. In one embodiment, anyone in the waiting room can
send a request (e.g., instant message or whisper) to the moderator
to join or enter into the main conference room. For example, GUI 13
may notify the moderator of the join request by displaying a
flashing character or other symbol next to the requestor's name in
waiting room display field 17. The moderator may either accept
(e.g., by dragging and dropping the person from field 17 to field
18) or deny (e.g., by ignoring) the request to enter the main
conference room. In other words, control over which participants
may enter the main conference room resides with the moderator, not
the caller or participant.
[0027] Practitioners in the arts will understand that multiple
alternative ways of designating persons for active participation in
or isolation from a conference session are possible. For example,
instead of separate waiting room and main conference room display
fields, GUI 13 may simply display a listing of all conference
participants with each person having one or more fields adjacent
their name that controls their respective participation in the
conference session. For instance, activating or clicking on a
person's name, or a waiting room field next to their name, may
isolate that person from the main conference session. An
appropriate identifier may be displayed so the moderator may track
who is actively participating in the conference session, and who is
currently being isolated in the waiting room.
[0028] The actual implementation and configuration details of how
participants are moved between the waiting and main conference
rooms may vary greatly. In one embodiment, for example, when the
moderator activates the waiting room function PC 14 sends a signal
to conference server 11 that causes server 11 to block the audio
signals at all ports of participants currently shown in waiting
room display field 17. For instance, in FIG. 1 participants
A.sub.1-A.sub.3 are shown in waiting room display field 17, and
participants A.sub.4-A.sub.6 are shown in main conference room
display field 18. Server 11 therefore responds to this control
setting or state by blocking audio mixing at those ports dedicated
to participants A.sub.1-A.sub.3. That is, incoming audio signals as
well as mixed audio signals generated by DSP 12 are blocked at the
media ports connected to participants A.sub.1-A.sub.3. The current
blocking state (i.e., which ports are blocked and which are not) at
conference server 11 may change dynamically throughout the duration
of the conference session, depending upon the control selections
made by the moderator via GUI 13.
[0029] Another possible implementation in a VolP system
implementation is to configure the system to operate in accordance
with a protocol that can re-negotiate the conference session on a
per participant basis. For example, this may involve sending a
request message to the end point devices to stop sending/receiving
Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets. Resumption of a
person's participation in the main conference session may be
accomplished via a Re-Invite message using the Session Initiation
Protocol (SIP).
[0030] When the moderator requests the system to unblock certain
ports (e.g., by moving participants from the waiting room to the
main conference room) the media path to those participants is
restored. Practitioners in the art will appreciate that during the
time that participants are blocked they still stay connected and do
not have to dial back into the conference session once their media
path is restored by the conference moderator. Furthermore, blocked
meeting participants (i.e., those individuals in the waiting room)
do not have to manually notify all the conference moderator in
order to rejoin the main conference room, since this operation is
in the control of the moderator, who can visual see and change the
status of each participant.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates a method of
operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. The
process starts (block 31) with the scheduling of set-up of the
conference session. This is typically done well in advance of the
meeting, for example, from a touch-tone or IP telephone or a
computer using software such as Cisco's MeetingTime client
software, Microsoft Outlook, or a web browser. Once the conference
has been scheduled, the conferencing system reserves the necessary
resources and guarantees availability at the time of the meeting.
Information such as the date, start time, and length of the
conference, the number of audio/video locations, a meeting ID,
meeting preferences, meeting moderator(s), etc., is usually stored
on the conference server. When the moderator (and other key
participants, if so designated) arrives, the meeting is called to
order and all waiting room participants are brought into the main
conference room (block 32). When the moderator dials-into the
conference session he is provided with a graphical user interface
which allows him to activate/deactivate the waiting room function
and block/restore participants during the meeting as described
above (block 33).
[0032] In the example flow of FIG. 2, the moderator first activates
the waiting room function (block 34) and then moves a group of
selected individuals out of the main conference room into the
waiting room (block 35). Block 36 shows the moderator subsequently
deactivating the waiting room function, which has the effect of
returning all of the participants (in the waiting room) to the main
conference room.
[0033] FIG. 3 is another example that illustrates a graphical user
interface 13 associated with an application running on a PC of a
user in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As
before, GUI 13 includes respective activate waiting and deactivate
waiting buttons 15 and 16, and two lists of conference
participants. Waiting room display field 17 is shown populated with
the names of five participants (i.e., John Doe, Alice Smith, Joe
Davis, Henry Jones and Caitlin Burg). These individuals might have
arrived after the moderator activated the waiting mode (e.g.,
clicked on the "activate waiting" button), or have been moved into
the waiting room by the moderator for the purpose of temporarily
blocking this group from participating in discussions in the main
conference room. As can be seen, the moderator's main conference
room display field 18 is populated with the names of five people
(i.e., Philip Patel, William May, Ben Joseph, Nick James, and Sam
Green, who in this example is the moderator). When the moderator
wants to restore the ability of the isolated participants to speak
and listen in the main conference session, he may do so by clicking
deactivate waiting button 18.
[0034] Additionally, the example of FIG. 3 illustrates two
participants (John Doe and Joe Davis) entering into a breakout
session while in the waiting room. The fact that these two
individuals are in a breakout session is conveyed to the moderator
by the notion "(B/05)" next to their names. (The letter "B"
indicates a breakout session and "05" identifies the number of the
breakout room.) In accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention, participants may enter a breakout session (e.g., by
pressing a certain keypad command sequence, or function key button
on their phone or PC) where they may engage in private
conversations apart from other persons in the waiting room. Other
participants may not listen to or speak with the individuals in the
breakout session. However, when the breakout session is terminated
by the participants, they return to the waiting room. In the case
where the moderator has deactivated the waiting room function,
ending of the breakout session automatically returns those
participants to the main conference room.
[0035] It should be understood that the breakout session feature
does not override the organizer's ability to force participants
into the waiting room and then keep them isolated there for a
variable amount of time until the private discussions in the main
conference room have completed. In other words, while participants
may move themselves into a breakout room, the organizer retains
control over who is permitted to participate (speak, listen, or
observe) in the main conference room discussions.
[0036] It should be understood that elements of the present
invention may also be provided as a computer program product which
may include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon
instructions which may be used to program a computer (e.g., a
processor or other electronic device) to perform a sequence of
operations. Alternatively, the operations may be performed by a
combination of hardware and software. The machine-readable medium
may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical
disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs,
EEPROMs, magnet or optical cards, propagation media or other type
of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic
instructions. For example, elements of the present invention may be
downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may
be transferred from a remote computer or telephonic device to a
requesting process by way of data signals embodied in a carrier
wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a
modem or network connection).
[0037] Additionally, although the present invention has been
described in conjunction with specific embodiments, numerous
modifications and alterations are well within the scope of the
present invention. For example, in certain implementations the
waiting room may be subdivided into areas that provide different
categories of meeting participation. For example, there may be an
area that allow individuals to audit (i.e., listen but not speak)
main conference room discussions in addition to an area that
completely isolates individuals from the main conference room. Yet
another subdivision area might be used to preclude persons from
entering into a breakout session while in the waiting room.
Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in
an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
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